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Skadi had passed the point of simple worry. She was also quite a few paces away from the point of anger. Her mind was in turmoil and she found her mood swinging wildly from absolutely livid to gut-wrenching agony. It took a lot of concentration just to keep following the cold trail, and even more so to keep a low profile so that no errant Dhati sentries might accidentally catch a whiff of her, so she had retreated into a very sulky silence, occationally interrupted by tiny, impatient grunts whenever her mood shifted.

First, she and Rauro had managed to finally pick up her wayward aunt's trail, but the place they had found them had held a more unpleasant surprise. There were traces of another lion at the scene, tracks that led from - and back towards - Dhati lands. And the evidence pointed clearly towards the fact that both of them had been at the same place, at the same place.

That crazy old hag had met with a Dhati? Skadi huffed irately as her rage once again shot to the surface. How? Why? Why? It couldn't be! It had to be a mistake! But then again, if it wasn't... and if that meant that old Skuld really had...
She quenched a growl in the back of her throat.
If she had betrayed the Mizimu, oh, there would be a reckoning, to be sure.

But then again, the other place where they had found clear traces of Skuld had made things even more confusing. Skadi couldn't hold back a tiny grunt as the emotional pendulum took another swift swing in the direction of worry.

There had been signs of a scuffle, a fight... and the fading scent of blood. Skuld's blood. She had been attacked by two lions, and they, too, had seemed to come from Dhati territory. It made more sense. She was a true Mizimu and she had been attacked.. and she was old, and not as sturdy as she had once been, and now she was out here, somewhere, close to enemy land, hurt and probably in pain... if not worse.

They had found one of the old Scryer's divining bones, broken and abandoned. Somehow, that had scared Skadi more than anything else. The dry old thing was currently securely clamped in her maw, but why she insisted on carrying it like this she couldn't really explain, even to herself.

Skadi snapped out of her daze when the Veteran by her side suddenly spoke. It was almost the only thing she had heard him say since they started this search, and just the sound of his voice was enough to startle her into alert confusion.

She blinked rapidly at him for a moment or two, while his words worked their way through her surprise.

"Wight. Yef." She stopped, spat out the bone and tried again, with a slight smile of embarrassment at having forgotten that she carried them. "Yes, I'm sure we will."

She didn't immediately pick up the bone again, however, gazing thoughtfully at it for a moment as the creases of worry and anger slowly returned to her face. Then she threw a rather furtive glance at the veteran, narrowing her eyes slightly as if trying to see past his stony facade.

She didn't know what he was thinking, but he had seen the same as she had. Surely a veteran would... well... not take any chances.

She cleared her throat. "Umm... when we do find her... umm..." How to say it? She didn't want to accuse him of anything, nor did she really want to admit that she had any doubts about Skuld's allegiances, not after her fiery speech, before. She settled her face in a stern frown, mostly directed at her absent aunt. "We're going to have to ask her some questions, aren't we?"

She hoped that was vague enough. We're not going to attack at first sight, are we?

Raruo shook his head.

"We could ask her questions if you want to," he said evasively, not making eye contact with her. He knew how to deal with Dhati or Mizimu who dared join the other side. And it didn't really involve asking too many questions beyond 'did you betray us'.

But he imagined, just because she asked him, that she knew that already.

He sighed and returned his attention to the area around them. He had things to do, and didn't want to be out here too much longer. His ears perked when he thought he heard something, his guard instantly up. Looking around, he saw some walking food nearby. Wildebeest.

They weren't a threat, but the pink and black he spotted crouching in the grass, which did little to hide the coat, seemed a bit more of a concern.

"We're not alone here," he warned Skadi, indicating toward the other creature not too far off.